CALIFORNIA) RAILROAD  COMMISSION 


E^ 


BULLETIN 


■: 


rrugress  of  the  Commission's  Investigation 

of  Railroad  Grade  Crossings 

in  the  State 


APRIL,  1917 


Your  Co-qperation  is  Earnestly  Requested 


St?:.,  5 


CAI.IFOnNIA  STATE  FEINTING  OFFICE 

SACRAMENTO 

1917 


•y  l^  — ^  ._J 


CALIFORNIA  RAILROAD  COMMISSION 


-^      .•*<■ 


BULLETIN 


Progress  of  the  Commission's  Investigation 

of  Railroad  Grade  Crossings 
in  the  State 


APRIL,  1917 


Your  Co-operation  is  Earnestly  Requested 


CALIFORNIA  STATK  PRINTING  OFFICE 

SACRAMENTO 

1917 


2.SJS0 


CONTENTS. 


GRADE  CROSSING  ACCIDENTS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

During  the  year  1916  there  were  108  persons  killed  and  416  injured  at 
grade  crossings  in  California.  Only  seven  states  in  the  Union  had  a  worse 
record,  and  all  of  these  states  have  a  much  larger  population  than  California. 

COMMISSION  INVESTIGATIG  GRADE  CROSSINGS. 

About  a  year  ago  the  California  Railroad  Commission  started  an  investiga- 
tion of  the  grade  crossings  in  the  state  and  about  2,000  crossings  have  thus 
far  been  examined  by  its  engineers.  In  the  reports  of  these  examinations 
1,100  recommendations  have  been  made  varying  in  importance  from  those 
requiring  the  removal  of  brush  to  a  separation  of  grades. 

RESULTS.  , 

It  is  too  early  to  say  what  the  results  of  this  work  have  been.  During  the 
last  six  months  there  were  killed  and  injured  73  persons  less  than  during  the 
same  period  a  year  ago.  Undoubtedly  the  commission's  work  is  partly 
responsible  for  this,  but  there  are  so  many  other  factors  to  be  considered  that 
it  is  impossible  to  say  to  what  extent  it  is  responsible. 

RESULTS  SOUGHT. 

When  this  work  shall  have  been  completed,  the  commission  hopes  it  will 
be  possible  for  vehicle  drivers  who  exercise  a  reasonable  amount  of  care  to 
cross  any  grade  crossing  in  the  state  in  comparative  safety. 

FINAL  RESULTS  SOUGHT. 

As  grade  crossings  can  never  be  made  absolutely  safe,  they  will  eventually 
be  eliminated.  The  enormous  cost  will  make  this  a  slow  process,  but  it  is 
the  ultimate  goal.  The  commission  hopes  to  outline  a  plan  which  will  make 
it  possible  and  it  will  meanwhile,  with  the  cooperation  of  the  public  and  the 
railroads,  do  everything  in  its  power  to  safeguard  the  10,000  grade  crossings 
in  California. 


PROGRESS    OF    THE    COMMISSION'S    INVESTIGATION    OF 
RAILROAD  GRADE  CROSSINGS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

Need  of  investigation. 

Under  the  Public  Utilities  Act  of  California,  the  Railroad  Commission 
has  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  all  railroad  grade  crossings  in  existence 
or  hereafter  constructed.  Its  power  over  existing  crossings  is  extensive. 
It  has  the  exclusive  right  to  alter  or  abolish  any  grade  crossing.  "Where 
practicable,  it  can  require  the  grades  to  be  separated  upon  such  terms 
and  conditions  as  it  may  impose.  The  lack  of  state  funds  to  assist  in 
carrying  out  grade  separations,  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  value  of  other 
action,  deterred  the  commission  for  a  time  from  taking  any  steps,  but 
the  increasing  number  of  crossing  accidents  convinced  the  commission 
about  a  year  ago  that  an  effort  to  better  conditions  was  imperatively 
necessary. 

An  examination  of  the  work  of  other  commissions  disclosed  nothing 
of  material  assistance  in  the  problem  of  grade  crossing  in  California. 
Nevertheless  the  matter  appeared  to  be  of  such  importance  that  after 
deliberation  the  commission  decided  to  investigate  all  grade  crossings 
in  the  state. 

Preliminary  steps  taken. 

As  a  preliminary  step  in  January,  1916,.  it  published  in  a  pamphlet, 
its  general  program  for  this  inquiry.  This  outlined  the  crossing 
problem  in  California,  reviewed  the  steps  the  commission  could  properly 
take  to  safeguard  crossings,  and  asked  the  aid  of  all  in  any  way  able  to 
forward  the  work.  It  was  sent  to  every  supervisor  in  the  state,  to  the 
officials  of  all  cities,  towns  and  railroads;  to  automobile  clubs,  and  to 
others  who  might  be  interested.  In  March,  1916,  five  hearings  were  held 
at  Sacramento,  San  Diego,  Fresno,  Los  Angeles  and  San  Francisco.  All 
who  received  the  program  were  invited  to  attend  and  present  their  own 
ideas  of  the  best  methods  to  follow  in  improving  safety  conditions. 
The  program  the  commission  outlined  met  an  enthusiastic  reception. 
The  representatives  of  the  political  bodies  and  the  railroads  expressed 
their  Belief  that  it  would  be  productive  of  much  good,  and  indicated  a 
willingness  to  assist. 

Shortly  afterwards  field  work  was  undertaken,  and  the  whole  investi- 
gation has  now  been  under  way  almost  a  year.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this 
bulletin  to  show  the  methods  being  used  by  the  commission 's  engineering 
department  in  carrying  out  its  part  of  the  program,  the  work  accom- 
plished and  what  remains  to  be  done,  the  effect  of  the  work  thus  far 
in  reducing  crossing  accidents,  the  further  action  the  commission  pro- 
poses to  take,  and  the  help  it  needs  from  the  public.  Comment  will 
be  made  on  other  items  of  interest  connected  with  this  subject  and  it 


—  4  — 

will,  in  a  measure,  supplement  the  program  of  a  year  ago.  That  pro- 
gram, this  bulletin,  and  the  bulletins  which  will  be  made  subsequently 
from  time  to  time,  will  comprise  a  running  record  of  the  commission's 
investigation  of  grade  crossings  in  California. 

Methods  of  investigation. 

Following  the  general  hearings  held  in  March,  transcripts  of  the 
testimony  and  statements,  were  carefully  gone  over,  and  a  digest  was 
made  of  suggestions  and  information  received.  The  crossings  specified 
as  particularly  dangerous  were  noted,  as  were  also  suggestions  for 
decreasing  their  menace.  Many  of  the  matters  discussed  in  the  follow- 
ing pages  were  touched  upon  at  the  general  hearings  and  a  large  number 
of  the  many  ideas,  subsequently  called  to  the  commission's  attention, 
were  due  to  the  stimulus  given  to  thought  along  these  lines  at  that  time. 

Records  for  last  year  show^  that  58  per  cent  of  those  killed  at  grade 
crossings  and  60  per  cent  of  those  injured  met  with  these  accidents  in 
Los  Angeles  County.  These  startling  figures  indicated  clearly  that 
the  first  locality  which  should  receive  attention  was  that  county.  It 
probably  has  more  railroad  mileage  than  any  three  other  counties  in 
the  state,  and  on  account  of  intensive  development  the  crossings  are 
particularly  dangerous. 

An  assistant  engineer  was  sent  to  Los  Angeles  in  April,  1916,  to 
devote  his  entire  time  to  that  county  until  the  work  should-  be  completed. 
Except  there,  the  reports  indicated  that  no  particular  locality  had 
worse  than  average  conditions.  Those  crossings  to  which  the  commis- 
sion's attention  had  been  called  at  the  general  hearings  were  first  inves- 
tigated. 

When  these  crossings  were  examined,  those  adjacent  were  also  consid- 
ered, so  a  complete  report  could  be  made,  in  conformity  with  the 
original  plan  that  each  separate  report  include  only  the  crossings  of 
one  political  subdivision — a  town,  a  city  or  a  county.  After  these  cross- 
ings, the  more  populous  districts  with  considerable  railroad  mileage 
were  investigated,  the  sequence  depending  on  the  ability  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  railroads  and  the  people  to  accompany  our  engineers. 

Recommendations  by  engineers. 

The  reports  to  the  commission  are  compiled  from  notes  taken  in  the 
field.  When  the  notes  in  a  particular  territory  have  been  completed, 
the  engineer  of  the  commission  who  made  them,  prepares  a  report 
embodying  the  salient  features  of  the  crossings,  together  with  recom- 
mendations as  to  the  action  needful  in  the  interest  of  safety,  an  estimate 
of  the  cost,  and  a  fair  apportionment  of  the  expense  where  apportion- 
ment appears  proper. 

The  reports  are  as  brief  as  possible  and  the  information  is  in  statement 
rather  than  tabular  form,  so  as  to  be  readable  by  all  interested  parties. 


—  5  — 

For  convenience  in  filing  and  reference,  each  report  is  given  a  number 
and  each  crossing  in  the  report  is  also  numbered.  The  local  name  of 
the  crossing  is  given,  if  it  has  one.  Each  report  contains  a  general 
statement  describing  the  location  of  the  crossings  included  therein,  the 
names  of  the  persons  who  accompanied  the  Railroad  Commission's 
engineer  and  other  pertinent  preliminary  information.  Then  follows  a 
discussion  of  the  facts  in  connection  with  each  crossing  and  the  recom- 
mendation, if  any.  The  report  concludes  with  a  recapitulation  of 
the  various  recommendations  made  therein,  the  crossings  being  referred 
to  by  number,  and  the  recommendations  listed  under  the  names  of  the 
public  or  railroad  officials  to  whose  attention  they  are  called. 

"When  reports  containing  recommendations  have  been  completed  and 
approved,  they  are  sent  to  the  public  authorities  and  the  railroads 
affected.  These  are  asked  to  investigate  the  situation  and  to  inform  the 
Railroad  Commission  of  the  action  they  will  take  on  the  recommenda- 
tions. If  accepted  without  question,  the  parties  are  requested  to  notify 
the  commission  when  the  recommendations  have  been  carried  into  effect. 
If  not  approved,  or  if  objection  is  made,  the  recommendation  which  has 
been  questioned  is  reconsidered  by  the  engineering  department.  If  it 
is  still  of  the  opinion  the  work  should  be  carried  out  as  suggested,  the 
matter  may  be  set  for  a  formal  hearing  by  the  Railroad  Commission  on 
its  own  motion.  At  the  hearing,  evidence  is  presented  by  the  engineer- 
ing department  and  by  all  interested  parties,  and  the  commission  makes 
such  formal  orders  as  seem  appropriate. 

Authorities  cooperate. 

It  was  originally  the  intention  to  make  the  crossing  reports  the  joint 
work  of  the  commission 's  engineers  and  the  representatives  of  the  public 
bodies  and  the  railroads,  but  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  do  so.  An 
attempt  has  been  made,  however,  to  secure  their  active  cooperation  in 
making  inspections,  and  it  has  been  successful  in  almost  all  eases.  It  has 
been  necessary  in  a  few  instances  to  make  two  trips  over  the  crossings. 
Generally,  however,  it  has  been  possible  to  have  all  the  interested  parties 
present  and  do  the  work  in  one  trip.  In  several  counties  the  boards  of 
supervisors  have  placed  an  automobile  and  a  representative  of  the  road 
department  at  the  disposal  of  the  commission's  engineers,  and  the 
inspection  of  all  the  crossings  in  unincorporated  territory  in  these  coun- 
ties has  been  made  by  means  of  this  automobile  with  the  county 's  repre- 
sentatives. Representatives  of  the  railroads  have  been  present  at  all  of 
these  inspections.  In  other  counties  it  has  been  found  impracticable  to 
examine  the  crossings  in  this  way,  because  the  jurisdiction  of  the  rail- 
roads and  the  supervisors  is  coincident  over  such  short  stretches,  and 
the  supervisors,  who  exercise  closer  jurisdiction  over  their  roads  than 
they  do  in  the  counties  where  the  roads  are  in  charge  of  a  highway 

2—28986 


—  6  — 

department,  have,  themselves,  been  desirous  of  accompanying  the  engi- 
neers. Here  it  has  been  found  more  convenient  to  make  the  inspection 
from  the  track. 

The  commission 's  engineer  has  usually  been  accompanied  by  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  railroad  and  has  made  his  reports  and  sketches  from 
a  track  motor  car.  Subsequently  the  supervisor  of  each  district  has 
accompanied  him  in  an  automobile  to  the  crossings  and  has  reviewed 
his  recommendations  on  the  ground.  Though  to  a  certain  extent  a 
duplication  of  work,  the  knowledge  of  local  conditions  possessed  by  the 
supervisor  thus  made  available,  justifies  the  added  expense.  In  some 
northern  counties  of  the  state  the  commission  has  been  unable  to  get 
representatives  of  the  county  to  accompany  its  parties  although  afforded 
©very  opportunity  to  do  so. 

In  the  cities  and  towns  it  has  not  been  found  so  practicable  to  secure 
the  cooperation  of  all  parties.  The  number  of  crossings  under  the  Juris- 
diction of  one  set  of  officials  is  more  limited  than  in  the  counties,  making 
it  difficult  to  estimate  the  time  inspections  will  take.  It  is  consequently 
not  so  convenient  to  make  arrangements  for  representatives  of  either 
the  railroads  or  the  cities  and  towns  to  be  present  when  the  inspection 
is  made.  Often  these  inspections  are  made  in  the  interim  between  other 
and  more  pressing  work,  and  there  is  not  sufficient  time  to  notify  the 
proper  officials.  In  such  cases,  however,  it  is  usual  for  the  commission 's 
engineer  to  go  over  his  report  with  the  city  engineer  or  some  other  town 
or  county  official,  before  it  is  completed  and  sent  out  to  those  who  receive 
them. 

Progress  of  work. 

By  the  first  of  1917,  crossing  surveys  were  completed  in  Ventura 
County,  including  its  incorporated  towns  and  cities;  in  the  unincor- 
porated territory  in  Los  Angeles  County;  the  incorporated  towns  and 
cities  on  the  Salt  Lake  Railroad  and  some  towns  and  cities  on  the  Santa 
Fe  and  Pacific  Electric  lines  in  that  county  on  the  Northwestern  Pacific, 
a  road  where  crossing  conditions  are  particularly  bad,  south  of  "Willits 
as  well  as  the  city  of  Eureka;  and  on  the  Southern  Pacific  lines  in 
Stanislaus  County,  except  for  a  few  towns  and  cities. 

Marin  and  Sonoma  counties  were  about  completed;  the  crossings  in 
unincorporated  territory  and  some  in  incorporated  territory  on  the 
Southern  Pacific  and  the  Western  Pacific  in  Alameda  County  had  been 
examined,  as  well  as  those  on  the  main  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  in 
Madera  County  and  all  lines  of  the  same  road  in  Merced  County.  In 
addition  to  these  a  large  number  of  Southern  Pacific  and  Santa  Fe 
crossings  in  San  Joaquin  County  had  been  examined  and  some  25  reports 
were  made  upon  crossings  in  different  parts  of  the  state  investigated 
in   connection   with   informal  complaints,   or   because   some  crossings 


—  7  — 

in  the  vicinity  were  referred  to  at  the  general  hearings  as  particularly 
dangerous. 

In  all  there  were  2,000  crossings  inspected  at  that  date,  of  which  1,600 
were  covered  by  200  reports  sent  to  interested  parties;  the  town,  city 
or  county  receiving  one  copy  and  the  railroad  two,  so  one  could  be  sent 
to  division  officials  and  one  retained  in  the  general  office.  Thirty-five 
of  these  reports  contained  no  recommendations ;  in  the  remainder  1,100 
recommendations  were  made. 

These  reports  vary,  from  those  which  merely  tabulate  the  statistical 
and  physical  features  and  require  no  recommendations,  to  those  in 
which  a  detailed  study  of  the  situation  is  made,  with  extensive  recom- 
mendations. 

Recommendations  g'overned  by  cost. 

At  the  start  the  commission,  in  the  "General  Program,"  said  that  to 
make  radical  changes  by  ordering  the  construction  of  a  large  number  of 
grade  separations  would  be  futile  at  this  time,  as  neither  the  railroads 
nor  the  political  bodies  have  available  the  large  sums  of  money  required. 
The  aim  has  been  to  make  the  cost  of  the  work  as  little  burdensome  as 
possible  and  to  balance  the  hazard  with  the  cost  of  removing  it  at  each 
crossing ;  removing  it,  that  is,  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  remove  the  hazard 
of  a  grade  crossing  without  either  abolishing  the  crossing  entirely  or 
separating  the  grades. 

The  following  list,  of  the  number  and  kind  of  recommendations  made, 
shows  what  has  been  done : 

Install   human   flagmen   4 

Install  automatic  flagmen  or  bells 66 

Install   gates 4 

Place,  remove  or  change  position  of  signs 449 

Cut  brush  or  trees  or  trim  trees 319 

Remove  buildings,   billboards  and  other  obstructions 30 

Grade    approaches    27 

Change  alignment  of  road 4 

Grade   between  rails   14 

Change  grade  of  track   1 

Close   crossings   92 

Separate   grades   18 

Change  location  of  crossing 1 

Change  to  private  crossing 7 

Operate  trains  over  at  slow  speed 2 

Other   minor   recommendations   62 

Total   1,100 

In  addition  to  these  recommendations,  25  have  been  made  for  future 
consideration.  Nine  of  these  are  for  closing  streets,  ten  for  separating 
grades,  one  for  changing  the  grade  of  a  track,  and  the  balance  for  various 
minor  changes.    About  10  per  cent  of  the  improvements  ordered  have 


been  carried  out  and  assurance  given  that  70  per  cent  of  the  remainder, 
which  have  passed  the  stage  of  official  consideration,  will  be  looked  after 
as  soon  as  possible. 

Among  the  recommendations  several  require  the  railroad  company  to 
install  signs  where  watchmen  are  employed,  stating  the  hours  during 
which  the  watchmen  are  on  duty,  unless  they  are  employed  24  hours 
per  da3^  This  sign,  as  far  as  known,  has  never  been  used  before  except 
on  the  Long  Island  Railroad  in  New  York,  but  it  is  a  cheap  safety  device 
and  one  which  the  commission  may  seek  to  use  often  in  the  future. 

Closing  of  streets. 

The  most  important  recommendations  are  those  for  the  elimination 
of  grade  crossings  by  closing  streets  or  by  changing  the  grades  to  make 
overhead  or  underneath  crossings.  These,  of  course,  are  the  hardest 
to  carry  out.  Of  the  92  crossings  recommended  to  be  closed,  several 
can  not  be  closed  until  after  the  construction  of  adjacent  roads,  while 
others  are  contingent  upon  the  relocation  of  a  main  artery  of  travel. 
Many  of  them,  however,  can  be  closed  immediately  by  the  supervisors, 
in  the  counties,  and  the  officials,  in  the  cities,  if  they  will  take  the  neces- 
sary steps.  While  the  commission  realizes  that  no  crossing  can  be 
closed  without  causing  some  inconvenience,  it  believes  that  the  larger 
good  of  the  communities  is  more  important  than  individual  incon- 
veniences. 

No  action  has  been  taken  in  separating  grades  in  the  27  instances 
recommended.  In  a  few  the  county  or  city  has  plans  looking  to  the 
elimination  of  these  grade  crossings,  but  they  are  without  funds  to  do 
the  work  at  the  present  time. 

Results  obtained  to  date. 

The  following  table  shows  the  results  of  grade  crossing  accidents  in 
California  from  June  30,  1914,  to  December  31,  1916 : 


Killed 

Iniured 

Totals 

Per  month 

Killed 

Injured 

TotaU 

June  30,  1914,  to  June  30,  1915_- 
July  1,  1915,  to  June  30,  1916- 
July  1,  1916,  to  Dec.  31,  1916 

65 

108 

56 

314 
416 
166 

379 

524 
222 

5.42 
9.00 
9.33 

26.16 
34.66 
27.66 

31.58 
43.66 
37.00 

Totals— 30  months 

229 

896 

1,125 

7.63 

29.87 

37  50 

The  increase  of  38  per  cent  in  the  number  killed  and  injured  during 
the  year  ending  June  30,  1916,  over  the  previous  year,  points  the  need 
of  such  work  as  that  now  being  carried  on.  A  decrease  of  only  15  per 
cent  during  the  last  six  months  is  not  particularly  encouraging.  The 
last  six  months  of  the  year  are  generally  more  productive  of  accidents 


—  9  — 

than  the  first  six  months.     The  following  table  makes  a  slightly  better 
showing  when  this  is  considered: 


1915 

1916 

Klllnd 

Injured 

Totals 

Killed 

Injured 

Totals 

July 

11 
11 
14 

8 
9 

8 

71 
19 
59 
32 
21 
32 

82 
30 
73 
40 
30 
40 

10 

16 

8 

12 

5 

5 

27 
21 
26 
53 
27 
12 

37 

August    

September    

37 
34 

October     - -    _. 

64 

November 

33 

December   

17 

. 

Totals    

61 

234 

295 

56 

166 

222 

This  indicates  a  decrease  of  25  per  cent  in  accidents  for  1916  as 
against  the  same  period  for  last  year.  A  decrease  of  73  killed  and 
injured  for  six  months,  or  over  12  a  month  during  the  worst  months  of 
the  year,  would  be  sufficient  justification  for  the  crossing  investigation 
if  there  were  any  assurance  that  this  reduction  was  almost  entirely  due 
to  that,  but  so  many  factors  enter  into  the  matter  and  the  period  covered 
is  so  short,  that  the  difference  in  the  figures  is  too  slight  to  reach  any 
such  conclusion. 

Traffic  increasing  yearly. 

On  the  whole  the  tables  do  not  indicate  any  satisfactory  improvement 
in  the  grade  crossing  situation.  The  work,  however,  will  result  in  -i 
saving  of  many  lives.  "With  the  highway  traffic  and  the  mileage  of  good 
roads  increasing  enormously,  with  a  large  amount  of  traffic  formerly 
carried  on  passenger  trains  now  being  carried  on  the  highways  by  jitneys 
and  auto  stages  without  any  lessening  in  the  number  of  trains,  it  can  not 
be  expected  that  accidents  in  the  future  will  be  fewer  than  in  preceding 
years. 

But  when  the  number  of  persons  and  vehicles  crossing  railroad  tracks 
is  considered,  it  will  be  shown  plainly  that  the  investigation  and  recom- 
mendations of  the  Railroad  Commission  have  resulted  in  lessening  the 
danger  of  injury  to  life  and  limb.     This,  of  course,  is  the  final  test. 

The  Railroad  Commission  works  on  the  theory  that  every  crossing 
should  be  made  as  open  to  the  view  and  as  free  from  obstruction  as  pos- 
sible, so  those  drivers  of  vehicles  who  exercise  reasonable  care  shall 
have  ample  opportunity  to  know  they  are  approaching  a  railroad  cross- 
ing and  to  see  approaching  trains.  Most  of  its  recommendations  have 
been  made  with  this  in  view,  as  the  table  previously  given  indicates. 
But  it  has  not  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  grade  separations  must 
eventually  take  place  at  most  crossings.    Whenever  it  is  possible  for  a 


—  10  — 

separation  to  be  made,  it  is  so  stated  in  the  reports  of  the  commission's 
engineers,  even  though  there  be  no  hope  of  securing  it  then,  and  no 
recommendation  is  made  to  cover  it. 

Future  results. 

If  crossings  open  and  free  from  obstruction  make  for  safety — as  they 
do — the  results  of  this  inspection  will  be  felt  for  many  years  in  the 
future — long  after  its  immediate  results  have  been  forgotten.  The 
investigation  showed  that  two  of  the  oil  companies  in  the  state  with 
large  plants  in  many  localities,  almost  all  of  them  on  railroad  tracks, 
had  adopted  a  standard  type  of  picket  or  board  fence  which  formed  an 
absolute  obstruction  to  the  view.  The  attention  of  the  companies  was 
called  to  this  and  both  expressed  their  willingness  to  remove  these  fences 
wherever  it  was  possible.  One  of  them  changed  its  type  of  fence  from 
solid  boards  to  one  of  open  wire.  Many  of  the  letters  the  Railroad  Com- 
mission has  received  from  cities,  towns  and  counties  have  stated  that 
obstructions  have  been  removed  in  accordance  with  the  commission's 
recommendations,  and  that  their  officials  have  been  instructed  to  erect 
no  obstructions  in  the  future.  Since  the  work  was  begun,  roadmasters 
and  section  foremen  on  the  railroads  have  been  ordered  by  their  general 
officers  to  cut  brush,  trees  and  other  obstructions,  and  to  prevent  these 
growths  in  the  future.  Sections  on  some  of  the  railroads  show  this 
work  has  been  done  in  advance  of  the  commission's  surveys. 

It  was  discovered  that  when  the  railroads  leased  portions  of  their  right 
of  way  for  agricultural  purposes,  corn  was  often  planted  in  close  prox- 
imity to  crossings.  The  attention  of  the  larger  railroads  was  called  to 
this  practice  and  a  recommendation  made  that  no  corn  or  other  high- 
growing  crop  be  planted  within  300  feet  of  a  crossing.  All  the  railroads 
receiving  these  letters  immediately  wrote  the  Railroad  Commission  their 
approval  of  this,  and  said  they  would  incorporate  such  provisions  in 
future  leases.  The  Santa  Fe  Company  said  that  this  would  be  done 
over  its  entire  coast  system. 

Civic  bodies  interested. 

Improvement  clubs,  city  planning  commissions  and  civic  organizations 
of  various  other  kinds  are  watching  the  reports  of  the  commission's 
engineers  with  great  interest.  As  they  outline  crossing  improvements 
which  should  be  made,  there  is  no  question  that  these  will  be  given  very 
serious  consideration  when  the  time  comes  for  action. 

The  investigation  of  its  grade  crossings  has  put  California  in  the  front 
rank  of  those  states  taking  their  grade  crossing  problems  seriously. 
Requests  for  the  ''Grade  Crossing  Program"  come  to  the  California 
Railroad  Commission  from  state  commissions  and  libraries  all  over  the 
United  States,  which  ask  for  specific  information  concerning  its  method 


—  11  — 

of  handling  certain  features  of  the  work.  The  chairman  of  the  Grade 
Crossing  Committee  of  the  American  Railway  Association  has  publicly 
credited  California  as  a  pioneer  in  the  movement  for  safeguarding 
crossings.  Since  the  general  hearings  were  held  in  this  state,  Colorado, 
Washington  and  Oregon  have  all  had  similar  meetings.  Washington 
has  entered  upon  a  program  substantially  the  same  as  that  now  being 
followed  by  California,  and  it  appears  probable  that  Oregon  will  do  so 
also  in  the  near  future. 

Protective  devices  examined. 

Among  crossing  protective  devices  the  automatic  flagman  appears  the 
most  efficient.  Sixty-six  of  these  have  been  recommended  to  replace 
the  ordinary  crossing  signs  and  bells.  The  publicity  given  to  the  grade 
crossing  subject  by  the  commission  in  its  general  hearings,  and  subse- 
quently, has  set  many  brains  at  work  to  devise  more  efficient  protective 
devices  than  those  which  are  now  available.  Hardly  a  week  goes  by 
without  some  new  device  being  submitted  to  the  California  commission 
for  examination.  Many  of  these  are  without  merit,  while  others  seem 
to  hold  possibilities  worth  while  testing.  The  attention  of  the  railroad 
companies  is  called  to  these  devices  and  cooperation  secured  in  fair 
trials  for  them. 

The  proper  location  of  these  protective  devices  is  of  great  importance. 
It  is  generally  considered  best  to  locate  them  in  the  middle  of  the  high- 
way whenever  possible  to  do  so ;  and  with  the  aid  of  one  of  the  railroads, 
an  automatic  flagman  has  been  located  in  the  center  of  a  city  street. 
It  is  the  first  installation  of  its- kind  in  the  United  States,  as  far  as 
known.  If  automobile  traffic  alone  were  considered,  the  proper  location 
of  a  warning  sign  would  without  question  be  in  the  center  of  the 
improved  highways;  but  the  lights  used  on  vehicles  drawn  by  horses 
are  not  adequate  to  indicate  the  presence  of  these  devices  in  the  road, 
and  there  is  always  the  possibility  of  a  serious  collision  between  such 
vehicles  and  the  signs  unless  they  are  lighted  at  night.  It  is,  therefore, 
necessary  to  proceed  along  these  lines  with  caution.  Where  electric 
power  is  readily  available,  and  other  conditions  are  right,  protective 
signals  should  be  located  where  they  will  be  most  conspicuous,  and  that 
is,  of  course,  in  the  very  center  of  the  road. 

Standard  sign  adopted. 

On  June  28  of  this  year,  the  committees  of  the  National  Association  of 
Railway  Commissioners  and  the  American  Railway  Association,  which 
are  charged  with  the  duty  of  reporting  on  grade  crossing  conditions, 
held  a  joint  meeting  in  Chicago.  They  recommended  that  every  grade 
crossing  should  be  protected  by  an  approach  warning  sign  placed  in 
the  highway  at  a  distance  not  less  than  300  feet  on  each  side  of  the 


—  12  — 

railroad  tracks,  the  sign  to  be  a  circular  disc  not  less  than  24  inches  in 
diameter,  painted  white,  with  a  black  border  and  black  cross  lines,  with 
the  letters  ''R.  R".  Where  deemed  necessary  this  approach  warning 
sign  is  to  be  properly  lighted  at  night.  This  recommendation  is  one 
which  should  be  followed.  A  large  number  of  the  signs  that  have 
been  recommended  (shown  in  the  table  on  page  7),  have  been 
approach  warning  signs.  Upon  the  adoption  of  a  standard  sign  by 
these  associations,*  a  plan  was  made  in  accordance  with  the  approved 
design  and  copies  sent  to  all  interested.  Since  that  time  the  California 
commission 's  reports  specifically  recommend  the  use  of  the  sign  approved 
by  the  two  eminent  associations. 

It  occurred  to  the  California  commission  that  if  the  cities,  towns  and 
counties  could  procure  these  signs  at  a  fixed  and  reasonable  price,  they 
would  be  much  more  willing  to  follow  recommendations  than  if  it  were 
necessary  for  them  to  secure  bids  for  their  manufacture.  The  California 
commission  wrote  to  the  larger  railroad  companies  in  the  state  and  asked 
them  if  they  would  be  willing  to  manufacture  them  and  sell  them  to  the 
towns,  cities  and  counties  at  cost.  They  have,  without  exception,  been 
willing  to  do  this,  and  the  price  they  have  made  is  less  than  that  charged 
elsewhere  for  small  quantities.  In  the  case  of  a  few  counties  where  a 
large  number  of  signs  will  be  required,  they  can  be  secured  cheaper 
from  outside  sources  than  from  the  railroad  companies.  On  page  16 
of  this  bulletin  will  be  found  a  plan  of  the  approach  warning  sign 
which  has  just  been  considered. 

Protection  by  obstacles. 

At  the  general  hearings  held  by  the  California  Railroad  Commission 
last  March,  a  method  of  protecting  grade  crossings  by  compelling  slow 
speed  on  account  of  physical  obstructions  placed  in  the  way  of  vehicles, 
was  much  discussed.  Several  different  plans  of  this  sort  were  sug- 
gested. Six  of  the  best  of  them,  revised  to  a  certain  extent,  were  sent  to 
the  railroads,  the  larger  cities  and  the  counties  having  considerable 
mileage  of  good  roads.  Accompanying  the  plans  was  a  letter  inviting 
criticisms  and  suggestions,  and  asking  for  experimental  installations  to 
be  made  whenever,  in  the  opinion  of  the  officials,  any  of  the  plans  could 
be  followed  to  advantage.  Many  instructive  criticisms  from  railroads 
and  cities  and  counties  have  been  received,  with  assurances  that  the 
devices  would  be  given  a  trial.  Los  Angeles  county  especially  asserted 
its  intention  to  test  them.  Copies  of  these  six  designs  are  attached  to 
this  bulletin  on  pages  17  to  21.  Those  on  pages  18  and  19  seem  to  meet 
with  almost  universal  approval.  The  plan  on  page  18  forms  an  obstacle 
in  the  roadway  so  very  slight  that  it  can  hardly  be  called  an  obstruction 
to  traffic ;  its  principal  advantage  is  in  the  fact  that  it  locates  the  warn- 
ing signal  in  the  position  in  which  it  can  best  be  seen.     The  third  of  the 


—  13  — 

plans  is  actually  used  in  the  city  of  Memphis,  and  the  city  engineer  of 
that  city  reports  that  the  installation  of  the  device  has  resulted  in  a 
diminution  of  the  number  of  grade-crossing  accidents  in  that  city. 

O'Shaughnessy's  device. 

All  of  these  plans,  of  course,  are  not  suitable  for  all  locations.  Some 
will  be  satisfactory  in  some  situations  while  entirely  out  of  place  in 
others.  The  plan  on  page  20  would  not  do  at  all  on  an  important  high- 
way, while  it  might  be  very  efficient  on  an  unimportant  county  road. 
The  last  one  on  page  21  could  be  used  only  in  special  cases  where  the 
tracks  were  laid  at  the  same  time  the  streets  were  constructed. 

Probably  the  best  type  of  safety  crossing  so  far  designed  is  a  com- 
bination of  the  devices  on  pages  18  and  19,  which  was  suggested  by 
City  Engineer  O 'Shaughnessy,  of  San  Francisco.  On  his  plan  the 
profile  of  the  road  is  slightly  broken  about  400  feet  from  the  crossing 
and  on  both  sides  of  it ;  25  feet  beyond  this  break,  toward  the  crossing, 
an  approach  warning  sign  is  located  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  road, 
looking  toward  the  track;  about  50  feet  from  the  crossing  the  flagman 
device  and  the  crossing  sign  shown  on  page  18  are  placed  in  the  center 
of  the  road  and  the  road  is  widened  to  provide  for  the  guard  fence 
which  surrounds  them ;  immediately  beyond  the  fence  is  an  accentuated 
break  in  the  road  profile  as  shown  in  the  plan  on  page  19.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  safeguard  a  grade  crossing  by  mechanical  means  in  a  better 
way  than  this. 

Separation  the  ultimate  goal. 

The  grade  crossing  accident  reports  and  investigations  continue  to 
bear  out  the  belief  that  most  of  the  accidents  on  grade  crossings  are 
caused  by  carelessness.  Such  accidents  as  these  will  not  be  eliminated 
by  the  installation  of  signs,  and  only  a  certain  percentage  of  them  will 
be  done  away  with  by  safety  crossings,  as  the  reckless  driver  may  devote 
his  energy  to  passing  a  barrier  or  protective  device  at  top  speed  and  thus 
pay  less  attention  to  approaching  trains  than  he  would  without  such 
protection. 

The  only  way  to  eliminate  this  class  of  accidents  is  to  eliminate  the 
crossings.  Owing  to  the  great  cost  of  this  work  there  is  small  immediate 
prospect  of  grade  separations  being  made  to  any  large  extent,  but  it 
should  be  remembered  that  grade  separations  afford  the  only  absolute 
solution  of  the  crossing  problem,  and  that  anything  else  is  an  expedient 
more  or  less  temporary. 

There  are  approximately  10,000  grade  crossings  in  the  state.  One- 
fifth  of  them  have  been  examined.  This  figure  includes  very  many 
crossings  of  interurban  electric  lines  located  in  the  cities  and  occupying 


—  14  — 

city  streets  where  it  is  possible  to  make  only  very  general  recommenda- 
tions and  where  the  work  can  proceed  rapidly.  In  addition,  many  others 
are  spur  track  crossings  over  which  slow  and  infrequent  service  is  given, 
and  which  it  is  probably  unnecessary  to  investigate.  The  crossings  to 
be  examined  in  the  future  will  be  in  the  districts  where  the  traffic  is 
lighter  and  where  crossing  conditions  are  not  as  acute  as  at  those  now 
being  examined.  The  survey  will  be  completed  in  about  one  year, 
except  for  possibly  a  few  crossings  on  some  of  the  outlying  railroads 
where  traffic  is  light  both  by  rail  and  by  road. 

Commission  will  pass  on  recommendations. 

When  the  field  work  is  done,  the  complete  program  will  by  no  means 
have  been  completed.  It  will  be  necessary  for  the  engineering  depart- 
ment to  follow  up  the  recommendations  it  has  made  for  a  number  of 
years,  especially  those  looking  to  the  separating  grades,  closing  streets 
and  relocating  crossings,  as  a  great  many  of  these  are  made  contingent 
upon  the  completion .  of  certain  work  by  the  municipal  and  county 
authorities  contemplated  but  not  undertaken.  In  the  meanwhile  there 
will  no  doubt  be  many  cases  in  which  the  commission  will  be  called  upon 
to  pass  on  recommendations  its  engineering  department  has  made  when 
they  are  not  voluntarily  adopted  by  those  to  whom  they  are  directed. 
This  will  be  especially  true  in  connection  with  closing  crossings.  The 
commission's  engineers  have  recognized  that  they  would  be  unable  to 
secure  the  closing  of  crossings  without  considerable  opposition  and  have 
been  very  careful  to  make  these  recommendations  only  when  they  have 
been  thoroughly  convinced  that  the  streets  affected  should  be  closed. 

Discussions  aid  solution. 

This  seems  to  be  a  good  place  to  point  out  that  the  commission,  in 
considering  the  reports  of  its  engineering  department,  in  these  matters 
as  well  as  in  those  pertaining  to  valuations,  takes  the  attitude  that  they 
are  in  exactly  the  same  category  as  those  made  by  outside  parties.  It 
follows,  therefore,  that  when  the  commission  holds  a  hearing,  on  the 
question  of  closing  a  street,  for  instance,  it  does  not  necessarily  mean 
that  it  is  done  for  the  sole  purpose  of  making  a  record  on  which  to  base 
official  action.  The  hearings  will  be  held,  as  has  been  elsewhere  said, 
only  in  those  cases  where  the  recommendations  of  its  engineering  depart- 
ment are  not  voluntarily  carried  out.  Their  purpose  will  be  to  learn  the 
reasons  which  have  led  to  the  recommendations  and  the  grounds  on 
which  they  are  opposed  by  those  who  do  oppose  them.  The  decision  will 
be  based  on  all  the  facts  bearing  on  that  particular  matter. 

The  commission  feels  that  even  if  it  does  not,  after  a  hearing,  approve 
the  recommendations  of  its  engineering  department,  the  hearings 
themselves  will  promote  discussion  of  the  crossing  situation  and  will 


—  15  — 

eventually  be  productive  of  much  good,  especially  since  in  many 
instances  it  may  be  possible  to  readjust  matters  so  the  closing  of  a  street, 
for  example,  will  be  a  plain  question  of  offsetting  a  public  good  against 
the  convenience  of  a  few  members  of  the  community. 

Conclusion. 

The  commission  has  been  very  much  gratified  by  the  hearty  cooper- 
ation it  has  received  from  the  railroads  and  from  the  representatives  of 
cities,  towns  and  counties.  The  railroad  companies  have  questioned 
only  a  few  of  the  several  hundred  recommendations  thus  far  made  to 
them.  Except  in  the  matter  of  closing  streets,  the  public  authorities 
have  shown  a  like  disposition  to  assist  the  commission  in  every  way.  If 
this  spirit  of  cooperation  continues,  the  state  may  look  forward  con- 
fidently to  the  ultimate  successful  consummation  of  the  plans  for  greater 
safety  at  railroad  crossings  now  and  hereafter  to  be  formulated  by  the 
Railroad  Commission  of  California. 

CALIFORNIA  RAILROAD  COMMISSION. 
San  Francisco,  April,  1917. 


—  16  — 


DETAILS   01^  FASTEN iNje  DEPENDS 
ON  TYPE  OP"  POLE.  USED 


5pECiFI  CATIONS 

METAL  DISC  ea'lN  DIAMETER 

PAIN+EO  \A/HITE  FIELD  WITH   BLACK 

LETTERS  3  "  H  I<5H  ,  3-V^  ■  vv  I DE  . 
AND   HNJEe>   1"  STROKE 

BOROE"f^  BLACK    LINE    rwiDE 

CROSS   LiNEfe  BLACK  e'/2  "  WIDE 

REVE'RSE  SIDE   PAINTED  BLACK 

SiSN   TO  BE  PLACED  NOT  LESS  THAN 
3OO'0N  EACH  SIDE  Or  TRACKS 

Standard  advance  warning  sign  of  railroad  grade  crossings,  as  adopted  by  National 
Association  Railroad  Commissioners,  American  Railway  Association  and  Cali- 
fornia Railroad  Commission. 


Design  of  safty  grade  crossing,  based  on  sketch  submitted  by  F.  E.  Peters,  tlirough 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,   Troplco,   Cal. 


18  — 


Design    of    safety   grade    crossing,    based   on    sltetch    submitted   by    Soutliern    Pacific 
Company  Division  Engineers  Office,   Coast  Division. 


—  19  — 


PWOPEWTV    LINK 


HIGHWAY 


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PROOCn'^v     LIME 


SECTlOrM 


wg^gfe«!i»jfef>>«^m^^^j(W«^^^  p^ 


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Safety   device   to   retard   automobiles  at   railroad   crossings,    as   executed   by 
J.  H.  Weatherford,   City  Engineer,  Memphis,  Tennessee. 


—  20  — 


STOP 
RAIUPOAO 

cRoesiNe 


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1J_I  M  J_!J_1. 1  J_l_U_:_'_ 


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m^mmm^mm^ 


ij_i  ;  i_i_i_i_i   LJ_i_i_4_i_i_t_Q. J_i_'- 
I  j_q: j_i_i_i_i_  -L  j_i_iD_i_f_i  13,  J  i-i- 


Safety  road  crossings  over  railroad,  based  on  sketch  submitted  by  Dr.  Ciias.  R.  Blake, 
Commissioner  of  Health,  Richmond,   Cal. 


21  — 


Design  of  safety  grade  crossing,  based  on   sketch   submitted  by  Scott  W.   Alexander, 

Long   Beach,    Cal. 


POINT  OF  RCVERSe.-  ir  A  CAR  IS 
OAMGCROOSLV  HEAR  THE  AOTQ  ORWCR  • 
WOULD  CONTINUE    DOWN  THE  STTSEET 
fVkRALLEL  WITH  CAB  TRACKS, ir  A 
TRAIN  I^ATASAFE  DISTANCE   THE 
AUTO  ORIVffR  WVOOLO  SlMPVl^  THROW 
MIS  STEERING  WVMEE'L  OVER  AND 
MArVE   A  REVrRSC   CUR^/E   AROUND 
TMF  l£-LANO 


Design  of  Safety  grade  crossing,  based  on  sketch  submitted  by  William  M.   Humans, 
Landscape  Engineer,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


